Wars are no longer contained to the battlefields. We have seen blowback of conflicts play out on the internet, cyberattacks being orchestrated and even private companies being brutally hacked on enemy soil. To meet these rapidly evolving challenges of modern warfare the British army is raising a brigade of “Facebook warriors” who will have social media savvy and will be trained in psychological operations to engage in non-lethal warfare.
It will be based in Hermitage, near Newbury, Berkshire and the 77th Brigade will be 1,500-strong. It will recruit soldiers from various units of the army, regulars and reservists alike, and preference will be given to soldiers that are familiar with social media and have journalism skills.
A spokesman for the British army tells The Guardian that the “77th Brigade is being created to draw together a host of existing and developing capabilities essential to meet the challenges of modern conflict and warfare.”
In this day and age many people turn towards social networks like Twitter and Facebook to catch up on daily news apart from endless news cycles on conventional media. The brigade will also be tasked with controlling the narrative if and when the need arises.
The army will conduct recruitment later this year to bring in more personnel that could help with this effort. British army’s 77th Brigade formally comes into being this April.
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